


Mind if I Move in Closer?

by monsterleadmehome



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Waffles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 20:22:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17148491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monsterleadmehome/pseuds/monsterleadmehome
Summary: It's Christmas Eve and Rey has left her shopping till the last minute. Fortunately, she runs into a fellow last minute shopper and they decide to get a bite to eat at one of the only places still open...





	Mind if I Move in Closer?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is both my fluffy Christmas fic as well as my contribution to the Waffle House AUs. The way in which Rey and Ben meet is based on an actual experience of mine, wherein my mom sang with a stranger in a store. XD
> 
> I understand there is some controversy around the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside." This [article](http://persephonemagazine.com/2010/12/listening-while-feminist-in-defense-of-baby-its-cold-outside/) somewhat sums up my take on it, so I hope it can help with the enjoyment of the story.
> 
> Thanks so much to [Jeeno](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeeno2) for beta-ing this fic!

Rey looked at her phone in disbelief. She had taken the bus to the mall to admire the decorations and do a little last minute shopping… not that she had many people to shop for. There was Finn and his new girlfriend Rose, and maybe Poe, though she was currently mad at him for trying to set her up with his loser friend. Finn and Rose had taken the car they normally shared to go visit his family for Christmas. Poe had flown back home as well. Rey declined invitations from them both, intending to spend the entirety of the holiday on the couch, catching up on all the classic movies she didn’t get to see as a kid in foster care. It was fine, really. She was used to being alone.

Her mouth opened slightly as she stared at the alert again. The buses were stopping early for the incoming inclement weather, leaving her stranded at the mall on Christmas Eve. At least she had until 7pm to figure it out. There was always Uber, but money was tight, and she had curtailed any unnecessary expenses for the foreseeable future. Oh well, no use crying about it now. She chewed on her bottom lip and headed into the next store.

As she wandered the aisles, she hummed along to the instrumental Christmas music playing on the overhead speakers. It was getting later and the store had started to empty out a little. She was stalling, not wanting to pull out her phone and see the price surges that the ride sharing app would surely have for a holiday evening. Her stomach growled, and she frowned. Then, she heard a distinctly masculine voice singing softly.

“I really can't stay… I've got to go away…”

Why was he singing the female part? She giggled silently. ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ had always been one of her favorites, despite the controversy in recent years. To her, it was a cheeky and fun tune.

“This evening has been—” he continued.

“Been hoping that you'd drop in,” Rey sang.

The voice wavered, clearly surprised someone had joined him. Perhaps he thought he was the last person in the shop. He carried on, though. “So very nice.”

Rey picked up her pace down the aisle, looking for the man attached to the voice. “I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice.”

They continued their game of cat and mouse, singing back and forth as they walked through the store. Rey’s  grin was so wide that it was starting to hurt as she rounded the last aisle, and they joined in harmony, “Baby, it's cold outside!”

Standing across from her was a giant Christmas tree-sized man, holding a few sweaters slung over his muscular arm. He was smiling too as they finished the song, finally seeing each other face-to-face. “Hi,” he said as the music transitioned into ‘Let It Snow.’

“Hi,” she echoed, feeling her cheeks flush. He was way more handsome than she would’ve imagined, his dark hair falling in slight waves she wanted to reach out and touch. His chocolate eyes seemed to bore through her soul, and his pale skin was dotted with beauty marks. Her mouth went dry.

“You have a beautiful voice.” He took a step forward, his face lightly blushing as well. He probably didn’t make a habit of singing with strangers, either.

“Thanks. You, too.”

He shifted the sweaters to his other arm. The black turtleneck he wore stretched across his impressive chest. Who was this man? Did Santa finally get her something to make up for her shitty childhood? He began to talk again and she realized his speaking voice was just as intoxicating as his singing voice. “I’m Ben, by the way.”

“Rey.” She stuck her arm out awkwardly underneath her pile of purchases, including a sizeable stuffed penguin that was her Christmas gift to herself.

He took her hand and shook it, and Rey swore there was a spark, just like in those cheesy Hallmark movies she liked to indulge in this time of year. Ben held her hand just a beat longer than necessary as he stared into her eyes.

The magic was broken by the PA system. “The store will be closing in ten minutes. Please bring your final purchases to the registers to check out.”

“Well, looks like we should be getting up there, then.” Ben smiled and gestured for her to lead the way.

After paying and gathering her bags, Rey waited for Ben to be done. She didn’t want to just leave and risk never seeing him again. She watched as the cashier casually flirted with him, but his gaze remained stoic. He almost looked grumpy. Then he turned and saw her still there—and the biggest grin broke out on his face. It gave him an almost boyish charm. “You waited,” he breathed as he caught up to her.

“Of course, us last minute shoppers have to stick together.”

He chuckled. “So Rey… are you hungry?”

She beamed at him. “Starving. But what’s open right now?”

 

* * *

 

It had been a long time since Rey had been to the Waffle House sober, but it was one of the only nearby places open. Ben opened the door for her like a true gentleman. As she scanned the laminated menu, she wanted to order one of everything. The snow was coming down pretty hard outside and all she could think about was getting her hands on a big mug of coffee… and maybe on the man sitting across from her a little later.

“So what made you save your shopping till the last minute?” he asked with a gleam in his eye.

“Well, I actually won’t be exchanging gifts with my friends until after Christmas since they’re all out of town, so—sheer laziness I guess. How about you?”

“My job keeps me so busy, I’m usually always buying ugly sweaters on Christmas Eve. At least my mother has the decency to pretend she likes them.” He chuckled. “But wait, do you have family to spend the day with?”

“No. No family. But it’s fine—I’ve got big plans with my couch and TV.”

Ben frowned, but didn’t say anything else as their waitress came over. Her name tag read ‘Sunni’ and it matched her cheery disposition. “What can I get for you?”

“I’ll have the all-star special, bacon and hash browns—smothered and covered—and can you put chocolate chips on the waffle?”

“We have peanut butter ones as well. If you mix them, it’s especially delicious,” Sunni explained.

“Yes! That sounds awesome. Oh, and a giant cup of coffee. Lots of cream.”

“You got it, what about you, sir?”

Ben had been staring at Rey the entire time, almost like he couldn’t believe she was real. She figured he probably wasn’t used to girls with appetites like hers. “You know what? That sounds great. I’ll have the exact same thing.”

“Ah, making it easy for me. I’ll put it in now… and if you don’t mind me saying, you two make a really cute couple.”

“Oh, we—” Ben started.

“Thank you,” Rey said, cutting him off.

As soon as Sunni walked away, Ben gave her a look. “Why didn’t you let me correct her?”

Rey shrugged. “She was just being nice. Is it so bad to be mistaken for my boyfriend?”

He ran a hand through his hair, and she noticed the tip of his ear was red. “No, that’s um—not what I meant. I’m just… wow. I’m really not great with women, Rey. And you’re so pretty, I just—panicked.”

“Hey, it’s cool. I don’t really date a lot, either.” She reached out to take his hand. Rey usually wasn’t so comfortable with men like this, especially not ones this attractive, but something about Ben just put her at ease.

He turned his attention to the snow. “It’s really coming down out there.”

“Yeah, I know… I hope I can find an Uber.” Rey was starting to become genuinely concerned that she wouldn’t be able to get home.

“Nonsense. I can drive you. Where do you live?”

She gave him a sheepish look. “All the way across town.”

He wasn’t given a chance to respond as their food came out. They both tucked in, relishing the sweet and savory flavors mixing together. Occasionally Rey made a contented noise and noticed Ben’s eyes on her. She wasn’t sure if he was disgusted or not, but she was enjoying herself too much to care. The waffle was _really_ good.

They talked a little more, and she discovered Ben was dreading going to his family’s house for Christmas tomorrow. His uncle would be joining them for the first time in a few years and they didn’t exactly get along. She told him about Finn and Rose, and how her best friend had ditched her for a girl. She was happy for them, but it was her first Christmas alone since she left the group home. Finn had been her first friend, and they used to be inseparable. She hadn’t told him how sad it made her, wanting him to go and enjoy his holiday—but she felt comfortable enough to tell Ben for some reason.

When the check came, Ben rose and paid it without asking Rey for her share. She was grateful as she hadn’t planned this expense, but she still bobbed after him. “You don’t want me to chip in?”

“Not at all. It’s the least I can do after you made my shopping trip enjoyable. This is usually my least favorite thing to do at the holidays and now it will be a good memory.”

Rey smiled at that. She noticed he left Sunni a generous tip.

Ben turned to her, and she felt her heart stutter. He really was a beautiful man. “Okay, I don’t want to be creepy or anything, and I will totally drive you all the way across town if need be, but my place is less than five minutes from here—and it is really coming down out there. Would it be okay if—”

“Yes.” She didn’t even let him finish.

 

* * *

 

Ben had a townhouse. Rey was living in a shoebox, but Ben had a _fucking_ townhouse. It even had a yard. Hardwood floors and granite countertops were the icing on the cake. Now that she’d seen it, he’d have to drag her out kicking and screaming. She was moving in. “Nice place,” was what she managed to say out loud. A perfectly non-crazy sentiment.

“Thanks. I’m going on my second year here. I bought it once making partner at the firm.”

“You’re a lawyer?” Somehow that hadn’t come up before.

“Yeah, but don’t worry—not one of the evil ones, at least not anymore.” God, she loved his dimples.

Rey laughed. “I’ll take your word for it.” She had told him already that she was in her last year of veterinary school.

“So Rey, have you ever had whiskey hot chocolate?” He was already moving into the beautiful kitchen.

“No, but that sounds delicious.”

Twenty minutes later they were curled up on Ben’s couch, on their second mug of whiskey hot chocolate and laughing hysterically. “I can’t believe you’ve never seen Elf,” he mused.

“What can I say, I had a sad childhood.” Rey took the opportunity to move closer to him on the couch so that their shoulders were touching. Ben looked down at her with curious eyes. “I’m a little cold.”

“Want me to get you a blanket?”

Boy, he really was dense. She looked directly at his beefy arm and drawled, “No…”

Finally getting the hint, he lifted his arm, draping it over her shoulders so she could nestle into his side. “Better?”

“Much.”

Rey quite enjoyed the movie, her heart doing a little flip when she saw how similar Buddy’s first meeting with Jovie was to hers with Ben. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing. As the credits rolled, she looked up at him to find his eyes on her again.

“It’s getting late,” he said.

“Expecting Santa soon?” she joked.

Ben laughed, his features schooling back into nonchalance quickly. “I can set you up in the guest room, if you like.”

No, he wasn’t going to get off that easy. Did he not feel this tension? Is that not why he invited her over? “Ben,” she began.

“What?”

“Know what I want for Christmas?”

He shook his head no with a gulp as he watched her ease herself up from her position and turn to straddle him.

“I want you to kiss me.”

He wasted no time, pulling her down to him and covering her lips with his own. It’s like he had been waiting for her to make the first move, but now he took what he wanted, ravaging her mouth with abandon. His tongue darted into her mouth and she opened for him, moving along with him. A low moan escaped her and he practically growled in response.

His generous hands roamed her body, trying to memorize the peaks and valleys of her through her clothing. Rey decided she’d have to shed some layers quickly. “Bedroom?”

“Are you sure?” he whispered.

“Yes, Ben. I’ve never been more sure. Don’t you feel it, too?”

His eyes burned with intensity. “I do, I’m just having trouble believing it.”

She giggled as she pulled off her sweater, revealing a heather gray bra. “It’s a Christmas miracle.”

 

* * *

 

Somehow, he managed to carry her up the stairs. The man was a paragon of strength. Of course, he had a king size bed with the comfiest sheets Rey had ever felt. She was never leaving. He had just plopped her down and removed his shirt, and she felt her jaw go slack. The turtleneck had been hiding the widest chest and hardest abs she’d ever seen. She rose up to her knees on the mattress so she could run her hands over his muscles. “Fuck, Ben. How are you real?”

He was blushing again. Clearly, he was also overly modest. “I like to stay in shape.”

“I’ll say.” Then they were kissing again as he laid her back and crawled on top. The weight of him was magnificent and Rey let herself sink into the bed.

He started to unzip her jeans and shimmy them off, trailing kisses down her abdomen as he did so. Then, she remembered what underwear she had put on today. As Ben slid her bottoms the rest of the way off, his eyebrow went up. “Mistletoe?”

She could feel her face heat up and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “I didn’t expect anyone to be seeing them.”

“Well, rules are rules, Rey. You have to kiss under the mistletoe.” He smirked, peeling down the panties, his breath ghosting over her neat thatch of hairs.

She writhed beneath him as he teased her, placing a kiss to her inner thigh. She could feel his hot breath just adjacent to where she needed him most and it was _maddening_. “Ben,” she whined.

He finally obliged, bringing the flat of his tongue to lick a languid stripe through her folds, swirling delicately around the sensitive bud at the top. She bucked up against him, and he had to push down on her stomach to keep her in place as he continued his barrage on her pussy, nipping and suckling at her sensitive flesh.

“Oh _god_ ,” she moaned when he pushed a finger inside her. She raked her fingers through his hair, loving that it was every bit as soft as she imagined.

He soon added a second finger, his thrusting making obscene squelching noises in her wet channel. When he crooked them to reach that textured spot inside of her, she lost it—coming hard and fluttering around his digits.

“Mmm,” he moaned as he pulled his fingers out and sucked them clean. “You are perfect. I guess I was a good boy this year.”

“Oh I don’t know, I think you’ve been pretty naughty.” She smiled in her post-orgasmic haze. “Now let’s get you back up here.”

Ben shucked his pants off before acquiescing, and Rey realized he was still full of surprises. His hardened cock was massive. “What?”

She let out an amused snort. “You know you’re huge, right?”

“Oh please.”

“I’m serious, Ben. I’d be nervous if you hadn’t _thoroughly_ prepared me.”

He scoffed, and she let it go. Her resolve to never leave his house only strengthened. “I need this off, sweetheart.” He fingered the band of her bra.

Rey sat up a little, unlatching it for him and letting him peel it away, tossing it off the bed. Her nipples hardened almost immediately, even though the heat was on. He wasted no time, taking one of her rosy peaks directly in his mouth and palming the other. She moaned as her head fell back to the pillows.

“Have I told you already how perfect you are?”

“I think so, but please don’t stop saying it.”

“Never,” he replied and she had a feeling this was about way more than just tonight. He palmed his erection and suddenly looked sheepish again. “Do you, um—”

“I have an IUD,” she answered as if reading his mind.

“See? Perfect.” His smile was intoxicating and started the fluttering inside again. His hands wandered all over her skin, down her arms, and threaded their fingers together, bringing their hands above her head.

He entered her with a forceful thrust and they both paused to appreciate the feeling. Rey had never been so full. She squeezed his hands. “You can move, Ben.”

“Fuck. Rey, you’re so tight.” He began to thrust, each movement sending shockwaves of pleasure up her spine.

“Unf—you’re so good at this.”

The snow continued to fall outside, but inside Ben’s bedroom the only sound was the staccato of breathy moans and flesh slapping against flesh. They built a steady rhythm and Rey started to see white behind her eyes as he picked up the pace. He finally disengaged his hands from her to roam back down her body, his fingers finding her clit once more and stoking the flame inside her until it was a raging inferno.

The coil inside was tightening to a point of explosion and as Rey fell over the precipice, her mouth moving to scream, Ben swallowed the sound by covering her lips with his own. Her inner walls clutched him tight, beckoning his release as well and he spilled inside of her. As they came down from their highs, he pulled back to look in her eyes, both of them wearing sweat-soaked smiles. Yes, this was so much more than just tonight.

 

* * *

 

When Rey awoke, she was still naked, but wrapped tightly in Ben’s arms and beneath his down comforter. She was the most comfortable she’d ever been and a delicate soreness pulsed between her legs. _Merry Christmas to me_.

His heavy breathing indicated he was still asleep, and she sighed in contentment, realizing a feeling she had only experienced in passing—it felt like home. Her fingers danced over his strong forearm that was wrapped around her, and he started to stir. His nose nuzzled the back of her neck. “Merry Christmas, Rey.”

“Merry Christmas, Ben.”

“Come to my parents’ house with me. I promise they’ll love you, and you can save me from having to talk to my uncle too much.”

She turned over to face him and placed a kiss on his nose. “Well, when you put it that way, how can I resist?”

They showered together, to conserve hot water of course, and readied for the trek to his parents’ house. Ben graciously washed her clothes for her so she didn’t have to feel weird about wearing the same thing two days in a row. She took her time puttering around his kitchen, making them coffee and a thing of cinnamon rolls she found in his fridge. She could definitely get used to this. She took a sip from her mug and turned around to find Ben staring at her, her clothes in his arms. She had taken one of his college sweatshirts to wear while she waited for her clothes to be done. “What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, it’s just—you look so at home. I think I could get used to this.”

“Me too.” She set her mug down and padded toward him, flinging her arms around his neck as he bent down to kiss her. The kiss quickly deepened, and Rey soon found herself sitting on the countertop with Ben between her legs. She pulled back for air, planting another kiss on his freshly shaved jaw. “We need to get going if we don’t want to be late.”

“We could just not go…”

The thought of spending the whole day in bed with this amazing man was tempting, but Rey didn’t want him to have any troubles with his family because of her. “As good as that sounds, no. We should go.”

“Okayyy,” he relented.

When they finally reached his parents’ house, Ben’s mother enveloped Rey in a warm hug. She fell in love with his family almost as quickly as she had fallen for him and as they sat around the fireplace, she realized this would be the first of many Christmases spent with the Solos.


End file.
